From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

The Bible says to persist in prayer and to pray about everything. God does not always answer the way we think He should, or when we think He should. We should be grateful for this—He knows far better than we do what is best! But, the Bible tells us to always keep on praying (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Jesus told a parable about a persistent widow who constantly begged a judge to act on her case, which he eventually did (see Luke 18:1–8). One reason Jesus told this parable was to encourage us to pray frequently.

We cannot change God’s mind about something that He has already answered. In other words, God will answer a prayer sometimes with a no rather than a yes, and sometimes with a “wait.” Are we willing to accept His will? Always pray according to God’s will.

There are times that we ourselves should take action as well as pray. Often we become the answer to our own prayers. Jesus told His disciples to ask Him to send workers into His harvest field, and in the very next verse we find that the disciples themselves went to the field to do God’s work (see Matthew 9:38; 10:1).

Prayer is made possible because Jesus Christ has opened up the way to our Father. Prayer is a privilege given to the child of God. He loves us and does not want us to be anxious about anything, but to faithfully pray about everything with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Find peace with God. Pray now.